Comparing Prufrock And Hamlet

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Prufrock and Hamlet are similar in their notable impotence but are different in that while Prufrock is submissive and pessimistic to his inability to act, Hamlet is inherently an active person, but his delirium turns him into ostentatious impotency; Meursault, on the other hand, is merely inert in his thoughts. Prufrock’s impotence is largely due to his submissive nature. In the poem, Prufrock summarizes his own nature in a concise phrase, “And in short, I was afraid (Elliot 3.86)”. From the poem, it is evident that Prufrock is “afraid” to contact with women by his inability to refer woman as a wholesome entity but only scattered body parts. Prufrock, however, seeks to deny his inability by denying himself to be “Prince Hamlet”, which is another character that is known for his indecision (Eliot 4.111). Nevertheless, as the poem progresses, Prufrock’s intrinsic pessimism overwhelms his ostentatious…show more content…
Queen Gertrude poignantly summarizes the causes for Hamlet’s abnormality, “... His(Hamlet’s) father’s death and our marriage (Shakespeare 2.2.60)”. Of the three characters, only Hamlet suffers in this lost of faith in morality and marriage with his mother becomes the very subject of incest. However, Hamlet at times fuels himself with passion to overcome the corrosion of his lost in morality For example, Hamlet’s internal determination provokes him to plot the ingenious plan of testing the King’s innocence. Hamlet decides with great resolves that he will “catch the conscience of the King (Shakespeare 2.2.634)”. Hamlet knows well not to murder the king merely based on the information of a ghost; his plot is a necessary step in his plan to revenge, and it demonstrates the firmness in his determination. Hamlet, as a result, is naturally an active person, if it were not the incest of mother that turns him to
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